Mountain Bike Nationals get underway at the SolVista Bike Park

Granby, Colo. (July 15, 2010) – Action got underway at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships on Thursday as category 2 and 3 racers took to the cross country course at the SolVista Bike Park at Granby Ranch.

Twenty gold medals were awarded to riders in the category 2 and 3 non-national championship fields over the course of the day.

The category 3 racers were the first to line up for racing Thursday morning with each field covering one lap of the 8.44 mile course.

Dakota Pittman (Mount Airy, NC) completed his race in 54:55 to score the gold medal among junior men 15-18. In the men’s 19-29 category three event, Jake Bauer (Muncie, Ind.) finished in an hour and ten minutes to climb his way to the top step of the podium.  Among cat 3 men ages 30-39, Christopher Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./EXPO Racing) was the fastest of the day, completing the 8.44 miles in 56:32. Ian Barnese (Santa Barbara, Calif./Action Sports) grabbed the gold medal in the 40-49 group while Dennis Comeau (Tesuque, NM/Bhoss Empoli) was the winner among men 50-54.

To see a video of Comeau talking about the race course and his win, click here to check out USA Cycling’s YouTube page.

Four women’s fields also competed in the category 3 cross country races on Thursday. Josie Nordrum (Corte Madera, Calif.) won the women’s 15-18 event while Sarah Ginsbach (Spring, Texas) grabbed the gold medal in the 19-29 field. In the 30-39 age group, it was Krist Contentoangell (Bloomfield, NJ) to take top honors while Laura Nesbitt (Pine, Colo.) rode her way onto the podium’s top step among women 40-44.

As the afternoon heated up, the category two racers toed the line for their turn on the cross country course.

The junior men 15-18 lined up for two laps and after nearly two hours of racing, Sven Beer (Fairfax, Calif./Whole Athlete) crossed the line for the gold medal. In the men’s 19-19 contest, Daniel Gerow (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./Wolverine Sports Club) finished approximately four minutes ahead of his nearest competitors to stand on the top step of the podium.  Among men 30-34, Joshua Billman (Lakewood, Colo.) was the fastest of the day for the victory. Brian McCall (Carbondale, Colo.) took the win among men 35-39 while Mark Ferry (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Kinetic Cycles) claimed top honors in the men’s 40-44 group. In the 50-54 age group, Mark Hogan (Snowmass Village, Colo.) crossed the finish line ahead of the rest of the field to claim the final men’s cat 3 win.

Category two women also contested their cross country competitions on Thursday. The juniors in the 15-18 age group went for one lap and Kaylee Blevins (Durango, Colo.) was the one to come out on top. In the 19-29 group, Rachel Horstman (Madison, Wis./Eriks Bike Club) took the win while Piper Ehlen (Winter Park, Colo./Velo Bella) won the 30-39 event and Christine Irelan (Colorado Springs, Colo.) took the 40-49 victory.

Cross country racing will continue on Friday as the U23 men and women and category 1 juniors toe the start line. Gravity events will get underway as well on day two as several categories compete in their four-cross competitions.  

Course maps, schedules, and other information are available on the event’s webpage by clicking here.

CLICK HERE for a photo gallery of all the action, or here for complete results.

Live streaming of the pro cross country, short track, downhill, and four-cross races, presented by Mellow Johnny’s, will be available on USA Cycling’s event webpage here. The broadcast begins with a LIVE pre-race show on Friday from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. and continues on Saturday and Sunday with the schedule below. (All times are mountain standard time).

Saturday:
11:00 AM Pro Women's XC
2:15 PM  Pro Men's XC
6:30 PM 4X Finals

Sunday:
1:30 PM Pro Women's STXC
2:15 PM Pro Men's STXC
3:30 PM Pro DH Finals
5:45 PM Live Recap Show

USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships
SolVista Bike Park at Granby Ranch, Granby, CO
July 15-18, 2010

Category 3 Men 15-18
1. Dakota Pittman (Mount Airy, NC)
2. Sanford Morton (Texas)
3. Justin Noel (Boulder, Colo./SMBA)

Category 3 Men 19-2
1. Jake Bauer (Muncie, Ind.)
2. Bryan Vahjen (Tempe, Ariz./Missing Link Bicycle)

Category 3 Men 30-39
1. Christopher Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./EXPO Racing)
2. Greg Leneveu (Louisville, Colo./Feedback Sports)
3. Richard Kirby (Santa Rosa, Calif.)

Category 3 Men 40-49
1. Ian Barense (Santa Barbara, Calif./Action Sports)
2. Vernon Harris (Louisville, Colo./Justin’s/Titus)
3. Darryl Miles (Dallas, Texas)

Category 3 Men 50-54
1. Dennis Comeau (Tesuque, NM/Bhoss Empoli)
2. Michael Detter (Broken Arrow, Okla.)
3. Henry Heupel (Libertyville, Ill.)

Category 3 Women 15-18
1. Josie Nordrum (Corte Madera, Calif.)
2. Hannah Finchamp (The Team SoCal Cross)
3. Kailey Elkins (Smithville, Texas)

Category 3  Women 19-29
1. Sarah Ginsbach (Spring, Texas)

Category 3 Women 30-39
1. Krist Contentoangell (Bloomfield, NJ)
2. Melody Gerasimek (Project Velo Racing)
3. Kimberly Yost

Category 3 Women 40-44
1. Laura Nesbitt (Pine, Colo.)
2. Jana Glover (Charleston Bicycle)
3. Allison Rector (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Category 2 Men 15-18
1. Sven Beer (Fairfax, Calif./Whole Athlete)
2. Keegan Swirbul (Carbondale, Colo.)
3. Eliel Anttila (Mill Valley, Calif.)

Category 2 Men 19-29
1. Daniel Gerow (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./Wolverine Sports Club)
2. Justin Abbott (Pleasant Hill, Calif./Traction Bikes)
3. Garry Christopherson (Laramie, Wyom./University of Wyoming)

Category 2 Men 30-34
1. Joshua Billman (Lakewood, Colo.)
2. Steven Thompson (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
3. David Slovick (Omaha, Neb.)

Category 2 Men 35-39
1. Brian McCall (Carbondale, Colo.)
2. Jon Brickner (Denver, Colo./Winter Park Winery)
3. Christopher Davis (Evergreen, Colo.)

Category 2 Men 40-44
1. Mark Ferry (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Kinetic Cycles)
2. Brian Nesbitt (Pine, Colo.)
3. Bob Catalano (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Category 2 Men 45-49
1. Erik Judson (Boulder, Colo./International Christian Cycling Club)
2. Rick Emerson (Longmont, Colo.)
3. Dave Wright (Evergreen, Colo./Justin’s Titus Mountain Bike Team)

Category 2 Men 50-54
1. Mark Hogan (Snowmass Village, Colo.)
2. Tim James (Lafayette, Colo./Foxtrot-Echelon Racing)
3. Talbott Houk (Monte Sereno, Calif.)